OTC to host FAFSA Frenzy event in Springfield

Ozarks Technical Community College will host a free FAFSA Frenzy event on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 5-8 p.m. in the Information Commons West building at the OTC Springfield Campus. The event, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Higher Education, is designed to help prospective college students file their FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. FAFSA Frenzy is open to all students, regardless of where they live, attend school or plan to attend college.

At the event, financial aid advisors and other volunteers from local colleges and area high schools will be on hand to help students and their families fill out the necessary financial aid forms. Participants are asked to bring copies of their 2017 tax forms, federal W-2 forms and other essential IRS documents.

In addition to receiving one-on-one financial aid help at FAFSA Frenzy, students will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a $500 scholarship through the Missouri Department of Higher Education. Winners will receive the scholarship when they enroll in a Missouri college or university.

FAFSA Frenzy is now held in the fall of each year in response to the new Oct. 1 start date for filing a FAFSA. Another major change to the FAFSA calls for students and families to provide income information from a year earlier than was previously required. For example, the 2019-20 FAFSA will ask for 2017 information. The change means that families will no longer have to wait until they file their taxes for the current year in order to complete the FAFSA or use estimated tax information that they later have to update.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education manages the FAFSA Frenzy program through partnerships with the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP), the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, and the National College Access Network.